Rapid application development (RAD): an empirical review
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European Journal of Information Systems (1999) 8, 211–223
http://www.stockton-press.co.uk/ejis
Rapid application development (RAD): an empirical review P Beynon-Davies1, C Carne1, H Mackay2 and D Tudhope1 1
School of Computing, University of Glamorgan, Wales; 2Sociology Discipline, The Open University Rapid application development (RAD) is an approach to information systems (IS) development which is much discussed in the practitioner literature. However, there is comparatively little research data on this topic. This paper forms a report of the results of a multi-disciplinary research project which has been studying this development approach for the last three years. The paper discusses seven case studies of RAD projects and compares each to issues relating to a number of RAD principles as represented in methodologies such as the recent open standard known as dynamic systems development method. We conclude with a discussion of a number of important questions relating to further research on RAD.
Introduction
RAD as method
Rapid applications development (RAD) appears to have first become topical with the publication of a text by James Martin with the same title (Martin, 1992). Martin defines the key objectives of RAD as: high quality systems, fast development and delivery and low costs. These objectives can be summed up in one sentence: the commercial need to deliver working business applications in shorter timescales and for less investment. RAD has been much discussed in practitioner circles, but there appears to be very little academic material assessing RAD. This is not suprising in the context of a systematic survey of the existing literature on information system development methodologies (ISDMs) conducted by Wynekoop and Russo (Wynekoop & Russo, 1997). They found that over half of the 123 research papers examined consisted of normative research in which concept development was not based on any empirical grounding or theoretical analysis, but merely on the authors’ speculations and opinions. Of those which constituted empirical research, almost half were undertaken to evaluate ISDMs or parts of ISDMs. Few studies were undertaken to identify how ISDMs are selected or adapted or how they are used. There also appears to be little interpretive research and few practice descriptions or case studies of this phenomenon. The main aims of this paper are to address some of these limitations in terms of one particular ISDM. The paper provides a review of the practitioner material on RAD and assembles from this material a number of key features of the RAD approach. It then discusses a number of case studies of RAD projects and compares each to issues relating to the key principles of RAD as represented in the ISDM Dynamic Systems Development Method. We conclude with a discussion of a number of important questions relating to further research work on RAD.
A number of people see RAD as a complete approach to information systems development in that it covers the entire life cycle, from initiation through to delivery. Not
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